Bharat is of Vedic Origin and is a Sacred Name

Discourse of Sathya Sai Baba during the Summer Course in Spirituality and Indian Culture
held for College Students at Brindavan, Whitefield, Bangalore District in May/June 1974
Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust
Web posted at Jun 20, 2002

Out of action and work is born every Jiva. He grows and moves in the path of action and Karma. These aspects of work are equivalent to God so far as individuals are concerned. Such action and Karma are responsible for both sorrow and pleasure in this world, 'Svayam Sarvam Vedati Iti Vedaha'. In the context of this description of Veda, it has been said that Veda will remove one's ignorance and will thereby enable one to become wise and acquire knowledge about all things. In the aspect of explaining the features of Agni, our Sruthi has also said 'Brahman Agnihi'. They have identified Agni with Brahmana. Our Veda has also taught us that Bharata is a name synonymous with Agni and because this Agni is used for sacrificing and purifying everything, it is also called by the name 'Pavaka'. So Bharati is also referred to as 'Pavaka' or one who purifies. Further it has also been said that because Agni wears Pavakas, it may also be called 'Pavakavahana'. In the name Pavakavahana, there is a meaning according to which it is called 'Jatavedaka'.

It becomes clear to us in this context that Veda has come with a view to expound the meaning of Bharata and to make known to people the aspect of Paramatma. In order to know for whom and from whom Veda has originated, they also referred to Agni as Jativeda, in the statement 'Agnih Jativeda'. It is necessary to make clear to ourselves that there is no difference between the words Agni and Bharata. These are alternative names for the same thing. In the trinity aspect of God, the names Ida, Saraswati, Bharati are the three aspects that have been taken from the three Vedas, Rig, Yajur and Sama. In analogy with these, it has been established that the divine has three aspects, 'Sat', 'Chit', 'Ananda' and He is called the Satchitananda Swarupa.

In the ritual of the sacred Yagnas to which we are accustomed in this country, the master of the Yagna and his wife have to perform certain duties. The wife has to utter Mantras some in description of Agni and Veda. Here when she addressed the Agni or the Veda, she uses the terms 'Rig', 'Yaju' and 'Sama' and she addresses the God of Yagna as one who is Jnata, Data and Bharata. The word Bharata is thus used in this context. In this context, we have to understand that the three words Jnata, Data and Bharata are only alternative ways of addressing Agni.

The three sacred words Bharata, Bhaarata and Bharati appear together in several places in Veda. In the Yagna, there is a word called 'Kusamushti' and this word has a specific meaning. Here it becomes clear and it has been explicitly stated that Veda has come for the sake of Bharata and for giving the meaning of the term 'Prajapati'.

It is only when we go deep in understanding the Veda that the meaning of the Mantras that occur in the Vedas appear relevant and connected. Unless we recognise that there is a close and inseparable relationship between these words and the Mantras in the Vedas and God Himself, the Vedas will appear like any other trivial writing of some unknown author and just a conglomeration of various words and letters. The Veda is indeed much more useful than just a grouping of words and letters.

It is a natural desire on the part of all the citizens of Bharat to inject what has been told in our Vedic culture into our daily life and daily action. When religious persons perform the naming ceremony of their child, they whisper into the right ear of the child three times words like 'Vac', 'Vac'. This is to tell the child that he is no different from the Veda and that he is the successor to the Vedic tradition and Vedic culture. It is also common that in addition to giving a worldly name, a divine name such as Devadatta by saying 'Vedosi' 'Vedosi' is also given.

In this manner when they say 'Vedosi', it means 'you are born in this world for upholding the Vedas'. 'God has given you this human form so that you may fulfil what is contained in the Vedas' and that is why the child is given in adoption to the Deva himself. In our tradition, it is common to adopt a child if one has no children of his own and this is called adoption. Giving one to God in adoption means that one is entitled to receive from God His divine strength and power and therefore inherit His capacity.

There is a further meaning here which says that the birth, growth, decline and death of the human body are all coming from Prajapati. He gives all these things as a gift for a human body. In the aspect of Bharata is implied and latent the aspects of Agni as well. You have already been told that Agni is an alternate name for Bharata. From the sun comes Agni and from Agni comes Vayu and from Vayu comes Rasni and from Rasni comes Bharata. In this sequel we must understand that life in the body consists of these five aspects. For the breath that we take in and the breath that we give out, the Vayu is responsible in the form of Prana. For our intelligence and thinking capacity, the sun is responsible. This is to say that there is a divine basis for all the material constituents of our body and that they can flourish only in the aspect of God. This is an interpretation given by the Vedas in this sequel of word. Agni with the name Bharata has the capacity to purify anything that it comes into contact with it in addition to burning it up. This is one other aspect in the Vedas. Because of this, Bharata the equivalent of Agni is also taken to mean the form of truth. On the basis of this, Dharma has taken a form which everyone knows as equivalent to truth. That is why it has been said 'Satyan Nasti Paro Dharmaha'. There is no truth which is different from Dharma. Prajapati, the embodiment of truth takes the form of Dharma and gives to the world the 'Ashthanga Yoga' calling upon them to follow the Ashthanga Yoga and thus understand the significance of Prajapati.

Here we should take the word 'Sathya' and divide it into 'sa, ta, ya'. We get the meaning that 'Ya' stands for discipline or controlled conduct which is regulated life, 'Ta' stands for 'Tapas' and if we do Tapas with a rigorous discipline, then we will release the 'Sa' which stands for 'Sathya'. To reach truth, discipline and regulated life and Tapas are essential. We should not think of doing Tapas alone. The Tapas that we do should be controlled by various rules and regulations. Only then will we realise the truth. The word discipline here means that one has to discipline oneself and control one's organs. It is only when you can control the outer and inner organs, that constitutes discipline here. You can give them freedom to the extent of performing specific allotted tasks only. By giving it such a meaning and by performing your tasks and developing an intense desire to become one with God, that becomes Tapas and through such Tapas you can comprehend truth. Tapas does not mean giving up everything and going to a forest and leading a life not filled with the thought of God. If in your Tapas, you have not surrendered to God and if your heart does not appreciate and learn to flourish in the aspect of God, it is not possible to realise truth.

If we cannot love and respect the one God who has given us life, our existence and by whose strength we live and die and if we cannot prosper in the thought of God, we cannot reach or comprehend truth. God is the agent of everything that we see around us but for us to think that man is the agent and that man is responsible is wrong. While God in the form of Atma inside your body is making you utter the word 'I', it is most foolish on your part to identify such a divine 'I' with your destructible and material body. Any feeling of attachment to the body and the illusion that the body is real is tantamount to death. On the other hand, the realisation that you are the Atma is tantamount to immortality and permanence.

We should fix our thoughts on the Atma and all our actions involving the body have somehow to be reconciled to the feeling and recognition of the Atma. All material prosperity and material wealth are like shadows. If these shadows are in your front and ahead of you, they will continue to be in front and ahead of you however much you may run with a view to overtake them. The meaning here is that this shadow of wealth or prosperity goes ahead of you always. If you do not allow this shadow of wealth to be ahead of you but keep it behind you, then as you go farther and farther, the shadow also moves with you behind you and accompanies you. It does not overtake you. The inner meaning of the word 'Aiswarya' here for which we have been using the word wealth is the aspect of Iswara. Iswara is one who possesses all kinds of wealth and prosperity. The only way in which you can achieve it is to have the aspect of divinity in front of you and prosperity will then follow you. The Rishis of our country realised that the aspect of truth and Dharma will enable them to reach God and become one with Him. This is the way one has to spend one's life if one wants to have Aiswarya or Ishwara with him. Our Rishis realised this and they always followed the path of truth to realise God. Our Rishis never worried even if their very breath of life had stopped. They were not worried even if their entire body lost its shape and got disfigured. They always lived in bliss because they believed that all the power in them, all that they have in them belonged to the Lord and therefore if Lord decided to remove something from them, it was done by the will of God. They felt that whatever they did was only for the purpose of reaching the Lord and realising Him.

From the point of view of the worldly usage, Bharata was used to signify meanings synonymous with those of Agni, Vayu and Rasni. It has thus become necessary to recognise four different aspects namely, Mahim, Ida, Saraswati and Bharati. Prajapati is the embodiment of Dharma. The name Bharata has come from him and it is not correct to give the name only to a piece of land with geographically limited boundaries. An individual may be named Rama but it does not follow that this Rama is the same Rama as the son of king Dasaratha. Similarly, we may name an individual as Krishna but he would not be the same as Yasoda's son Krishna. Similarly, the name Bharata is to be taken as one of the many names of Prajapati and this has been given to the country in which we live. Unless the country acquires all the qualities associated with Bharata or Prajapati, the name will not carry the original meaning with justification. Unfortunately, historians have been explaining that this name has come from one of the names of the kings that ruled, or from the philosophers who taught in this country at one time or another. This is not correct. We find the usage of the word Bharata in several contexts in the Veda itself. In coming to assign an origin for this name, we must ask ourselves whether the kings came first or the Vedas came first and similarly whether the philosophers came first or the Vedas came first. The philosophers and their expositions came much later than the Vedas themselves and in fact the Veda came earlier than all these and if the word Bharata occurs in the Vedas themselves, we have to interpret that the origin of the word Bharata is in the Vedas themselves.

Therefore, the words, Bharata, Bharati and Bharat have their origin in the Vedas. In the very beginning when one starts learning the alphabet, one addresses the Goddess Saraswati and equates her with Bharati and thus in the very beginning of our education, we use a Vedic word Bharati. Our writers have frequently been using the words Saraswati and Bharati synonymously. Saraswati, Bhagavati, Bharati have been described as 'Purnendu Bimbanana'. This can be a description of the Vedas only for it implies something which is complete and only the Vedas are complete in every sense. Therefore the word Bharati refers to the Vedas. The world itself is not complete. The only thing which is complete and in which there is nothing lacking is divinity. This aspect of completeness is to be found only in Prajapati, or Brahman and therefore, when we use the word Bharati or Bharat, it can refer only to the aspect of the Brahman or the Vedas. The desire and the ability to work and the knowledge of how to work, all together will represent the aspect of Bharata. The same thing is described in terms of three different paths, namely the path of Karma, the path of Upasana and the path of Jnana. These three have also been called 'Sruthi', 'Raga' and 'Tala' or the rhythm, song and the beat respectively. An appropriate combination of these three represents Bharat and we can also see that if we split the word Bharat into 'Bha', 'Ra', 'Ta', we can get a correct description of our country.

The synthesis of Bhava, Raga, and Tala or the synthesis of the thought, the song and the beat represents our country. The oneness of thought, word and deed is characteristic of our country. The oneness of these three aspects has also been called 'Triputi'. If the thought takes one form, if the song takes another form and if the beat takes another form, it will be very unpleasant to listen to such uncoordinated music. The song should accompany a proper thought and should be appropriate to the thought. The song must be tuned to a proper beat. Thus there should be unity between thought, song and the beat. The strength to think out some line of action and to put that thought to work and then lead the work properly to its fruition is contained in the statement that the proper study of mankind is man. If man is such that he has one thought, says something else and does something different, he should not call himself a man. In other words, if there is no co-ordination between one's thought, word and deed one would not be possessing human qualities. In fact, such an individual will rightly be referred to as an animal. A human being should speak out the thoughts that are in his mind and should act in co-ordination with both his thought and word.

This name Bharata is a Vedic word and has been the sacred name of our country and so it is essential that all citizens of this country should make an effort to justify this name. This is the reason why Rishis laid down strict regulations for our conduct and they laid down certain principles of morality and ethics. They said that man's life and civilisation can be preserved only if we work within these limitations and controls. In this sacred land of Bharat, the quality of forbearance is the most beautiful quality which we can claim. In all our actions, that particular action of sticking to truth is the noblest act which we know of in this country. The sweetest of all ideas we accept in this country is the idea of love and affection to a mother. As per the traditions of our country, nothing can be sweeter than the affection to a mother.

Knowing full well that our character is much more important than even our own life, yet we have let the standard of our character fall very low. Today we have landed ourselves in a situation where we are borrowing our standards and our morals from foreign countries. Our notion of freedom is taking the peculiar form of an unsteady and fickle woman. Alas! How shall I describe the manner in which our country is being ruled. Like the elephant which does not know its own strength, our people, although intrinsically strong, do not know their own strength and have become weaklings. The elephant is very strong and in spite of its strength, it can be tamed easily by its trainer and it will do exactly what the trainer asks it to do. So also citizens of Bharat are forgetting the strength which they have and are following the ideas given by foreigners. What has happened to our traditions and why have we forgotten the great strength that is contained in them? Imitation is one of the greatest weaknesses. We have a heart of our own, a life of our own and strength of our own and why do we have to imitate someone else's strength and some one else's way of life. This is one of the greatest weaknesses. Today we are imitating others from the smallest to the biggest things. If someone wears a sideburn, another person who looks at him also wants to wear a sideburn; if someone wears a tight pant, others want to do the same things. If someone grows a bushy hair, others want to do the same thing. This kind of imitation simply means that you have become a slave. What has happened to your own strength and your capacity to think and why do you have to imitate others always. Do not become a slave to others. You should become a slave to yourself or a slave to Paramatma.

In this context if you remember that the Paramatma is within you, then it means that you should become a slave to yourself. By this, we mean that you should understand yourself. Till you understand yourself, you are a slave and the moment you understand who you are, you become God himself. God is the embodiment of truth, cleanliness and Dharma and if you develop this aspect of truth and cleanliness, you become one with God. The strength and capacity that are in God cannot be understood by anyone. The only thing that you can do is to enjoy that bliss and follow them and experience them. To describe God as such and such and to say that He is like so and so is not correct. It has been said that 'Bhramavid Brahmaiva Bhavati', that is one who understands Brahman becomes Brahman himself. If an individual is unable to comprehend his own self, how can he understand the aspect of Brahman? It is in this context that Mira had sung a song with a very significant meaning. How are we to know you and your nature? Oh Lord! Some people say that we can attain you in a very cheap and easy way. Some others say that to attain you is a very expensive and difficult task. How are we to ascertain the truth of these statements? Some pray for you in a forest while some others say that you are in a mansion. How are we to know the truth of these statements? It is only for Radha who had surrendered everything to Krishna and became identical with Him to understand and recognise the aspect of the Lord. Here we must ask ourselves who this Radha is in reality. This is only symbolic and signifies the continuous chanting of Lord's name. We can have the name 'Radha' and if we look at it in a cyclic manner, we get the next word as 'adar' and the next as 'dara' and the next as 'arad' and finally back to 'Radha'. From this we can see that Radha is one who continually takes to the Aradhana of the Lord. One who does this Aradhana continuously is Radha. One who always has the thought of God is Radha.